AN alarming new trend has emerged involving scams directed at the victims of recent vehicle theft/hijacking.
Shortly after reporting a stolen or hijacked vehicle to the SAPS, a number of insurance policyholders stated that they were contacted by people posing as police officers.
The fraudster tells the policyholder that their stolen or hijacked vehicle had been recovered in a different province or even in a neighbouring country, and asks for a payment to be made by EFT before their vehicle can be returned to them.
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Hugo van der Merwe of MUA Insurance Acceptances says the company has already seen multiple instances where policyholders have been targeted.
‘This has been brought to the attention of the police and the cases are being investigated as a matter of urgency,’ he said.
He says that if a policyholder is still unsure about whether they are expected to pay any fees, they should first contact their broker.
‘This is obviously not regular police procedure and under no circumstances should you pay these, or any other types of, fees if you are contacted after a vehicle theft or hijacking,’ he said.
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